He frowns at the thought before taking a breath. “All right, I’ll talk to Miggy tomorrow.”
Not if I can beat him to it.
Shep gives a long blink as if he heard. “In the least, wait for me.”
“She trusts me, Shep. I’m her friend.”
“And I’m her favorite author.”
I wrinkle my nose. “And perhaps her least favorite detective. If she’s the killer, she won’t open up to you.”
He takes a breath as he examines me. “How about we discuss this over chicken parmesan?”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not all that hungry?”
“Oh, I’m hungry, Kitten. It’s just not for food. You ready for that necklace?”
“I’m more interested in seeing what you can do with those teeth.”
A dark smile curves on his lips. “I’ll be gentle.”
Shep might be gentle, but I’ll be far from it when I give Miggy the shakedown tomorrow.
I have a feeling I’m about to get to the bottom of Hazel Newton’s murder.
And in an odd turn of events, I might be able to tell Hazel Newton all about it, too.
Chapter 13
Mortimer Manor is all decked out like a haunted Halloween dream with gossamer dripping from every corner, not to mention the witches, the ghouls, the monsters—the ghost.
It’s nine o’clock in the evening, exactly twenty-four hours after Shep and I underwent one serious make-out session at the Graveyard Shift—one which we continued once we made it over to his place. Lucky for me, it turns out, Shep preferred my lips to my sister’s chicken parmesan.
Bodies are still filing into the manor, and the Haunted Hallow-whiskers Ball is pumping. The music is so loud, the bass gives this place a heartbeat of its own.
Tilly is working the bar alongside Mud, raking in the tips faster than they can keep track of them. Stephanie is currently harassing a man dressed as a clown near the entry and I head on over. My sister has been known to invoke the tears of a clown once or twice in her life. Usually, it’s the clown she’s dating. She does have a propensity for men in uniform, and believe me when I say this rainbow wigged Bozo fits the bill.
“Good evening.” I give a slight bow his way. “Glad to have you with us tonight.”
“I was just leaving.” He darts down the hall and heads for the exit.
Stephanie wastes no time in smacking me.
“What did you do that for?” she hisses. “We were just getting to the good part.”
“Stephanie, that man had a look of sheer panic on his face. Leave it to you to scare a clown. He nearly tripped over his size twenty-two shoes trying to make a getaway. What did you say to him, anyway?”
She thinks on it a moment. “I just let him know I’ve got a pair of handcuffs, a hacksaw, and some duct tape that I wasn’t afraid to use. I thought we could have some fun. Where do you think I went wrong?”
“Maybe leave the hardware out of it next time and simply lure him into a windowless van with candy. I’ve got a bowl of the sweet stuff in the café you could borrow.”
“You always did cut to the chase, Stella.”
“Hey”—I bring my finger to my lips—“keep it down, would you? It’s Bowie. And speaking of taking off, I’m thinking of throwing you a goodbye party next Friday, right here at the manor. I’ve already invited the entire town so you can’t say no.”
She squints my way. “Who said anything about taking off? And wait a minute… Next Friday night is Halloween. The entire town will be there anyway. Very funny, Bowie.” She rocks back on her heels, and I take a moment to appreciate the fact she’s dressed up like a hot-to-trot feline with the black cat suit and pointy ears and tail. Come to think of it, she’s not all that far away from being a devil as well.
She pulls out her phone and makes a face at it. “Eddie has been calling like crazy. He wants to make up.”
“Oh no,” I say.
“Oh yes. I don’t know what to do.”
Tilly pops up between us, looking as cute as a bug with a couple of daisies flopping around attached to her headband.
Stephanie grunts, “What are you supposed to be?”
“I’m pushing up daises.” Tilly gives her head a wiggle. “What’s going on?” She pokes my sister in the side. “Why so glum, chum?”
“That ex I was telling you about is sniffing around again. He wants me back in the worst way.”
“Aww,” Tilly coos.
“More like eww,” I counter. “Lola, the louse cheated on you. It’s over, as in forever. Besides you have Mud now.”
What am I saying? Mud lives in Starry Falls. It’ll never work.
Stephanie shrugs. “Mud lives in Starry Falls. It’ll never work…unless.” Her eyes fill with devilish glee, and I’m quick to shake my head.
“You’d have to find a place to live, and work,” I say. And figure out a way to make Lola a viable entity in the eyes of the law. Thankfully, my Uncle Vinnie isn’t around to make lightning strike twice.
Tilly scoffs. “You already live with Bowie. And you practically have a career at the Manor Café.” She leans her way. “I bet if you play your cards right, you can hopscotch right over Bowie here and find yourself in upper management.”
“There is no upper management,” I’m quick to inform her. “And besides, Lola hates it here in Starry Falls. She told me so herself just last night.”
Stephanie ticks her head to the side. “I said I hate you for making out with a god all night. I’ve got nothing but love for this starry-eyed town. And, Tilly, you’re not so bad either.”
“I knew I liked you.” Tilly offers her up a firm embrace.
A spray of miniature glowing stars emanates from the area near the library, and I lean in a notch to get a read on what it might be.
“Excuse me, girls. I think I see something that needs my attention.”
I head that way with caution and watch as the stars begin to grow right along with a pink and gold aura.
A female form takes shape, and I gasp as Hazel Newton materializes right in front of me. She turns my way and gives the impression of a barely-there dangerous smile.
“Hazel?” I hiss as I make my way over, but it’s too late. She’s already walking straight through the old mahogany door—the hard way, without bothering to open it.
“It’s not time yet, Bowie.” Her voice resonates through me with a vibratory rush. It sounds hollow as if she were talking straight into a fish bowl, and her skin, her fiery red hair, and her dark ragged dress are perfectly see-through. “Soon. Soon you shall see.” And with that, she’s no longer to be seen.
“What in the name of holy water is going on?” I land my palm to my forehead and breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. Maybe I’d better head outside for some fresh air. And Miggy is here somewhere. I should take advantage of the fact and pump her for info while I’ve got her here.
“Whoa.” A pair of strong arms wraps themselves around me, and soon I’m looking into Shepherd Wexler’s stunning eyes. “It’s happening again, isn’t it, Bowie?”